His Whole World
by Tarafina
Summary: What happened tonight would not repeat, if it did, it would mean death to whoever caused it.


**Title**: His Whole World  
**Category**: Smallville  
**Rating**: T  
**Genre**: Drama/Family  
**Pairing**: Chloe/Oliver  
**Prompt**: #036 - Whew  
**Word Count**: 1,483  
**Summary**: What happened tonight would not repeat, if it did, it would mean death to whoever caused it.

**_His Whole World_**

Chloe clutched her hands tight together to stop herself from wringing them. She'd finally stopped pacing the room as it was only making her dizzy. Her eyes stung from staring at the schematics in front of her for too long without letting herself blink. Anxiety wreaked havoc on her; her stomach churned, her lungs ached as she tried to breathe and felt as if there just wasn't enough air to sate her. Her entire body had been shaking since she found out.

"Watchtower to team, what's the status?" she asked, panic all too evident in her voice.

There was no immediate reply and that only served to worry her more.

"Getting impatient, guys. Don't leave me waiting here."

Finally, he replied. "Arrow to Tower, package in toe…"

A tremor of relief rocked through her. Her knees weak, she nearly felt to the floor, but managed to stay standing even as her shoulders slumped with overwhelming appreciation. "Is he okay?" she worried, eyes closed tight as she worked to inhale air.

"He's tired but he's fine," he assured, his distorted voice still soothing. "I'm looking at him right now."

"Bring him back to me," she demanded hoarsely. "Now."

"On our way home. Arrow out."

She heard his communication piece flicker out and then turned her attention elsewhere, eyes immediately falling on the team member she most trusted with this matter. "Impulse?"

"Yeah, _mamacita_?" he asked, his tone still rather subdued due to the situation they were in.

"Make them pay." Her voice shook with the agonized hatred she felt in that moment. "Nobody touches my baby and gets away with it. Do you understand me?"

He hardly paused. "Affirmative."

An hour later, her team was standing in the watchtower, a bundle of innocence fast asleep in Oliver's arms. Rushing across the floor, she dragged her son into her embrace, sniffling as he snuggled against her. Her heart hammered inside her chest, appreciation and relief reverberating through her entirety. Stroking his sandy blonde hair, she looked him over head to toe, making sure he was in one piece, exactly as he'd been when she dropped him off at school. And he was; he was perfectly fine. She swallowed back the sob burning her throat. He was back, he was okay, and she dearly hoped he was too young to remember any of what happened.

As she buried her face against his chest, she felt a hand rubbing her back comfortingly. She didn't deny him when he drew her into his arms and as easily as if she were as weightless as their son, hefted them into his arms. He walked to the couch, the clomp of his leather boots loud against the hardwoods. Cradling her in his arms, he murmured soothing words against her hair as she let emotions loose.

Connor didn't stir, at four years old very little could wake him up. She was careful not to squeeze him tight like she so desperately wanted to. Answering her phone that afternoon to find her son had been picked up from school and not by anyone she knew, she'd nearly had a heart attack. The team was on it before the mental breakdown she was on the verge of could impose itself and with the quick nature she'd afforded these last few years, Watchtower mode had kicked in. It took them mere hours to track down just who it was that had stolen her little boy and she'd sent the guys in immediately. No doubt a ransom would've been asked of them, but she wasn't waiting on that. She had the schematics ready and was pushing the boys out the door before any protests could be heard. Now, she knew she'd been right to do so.

"He's okay, we got him," her husband murmured against her temple.

She nodded but the fear she'd felt earlier still stung her chest. Burying her face in his neck, she let her shoulders shake tellingly as she cried with relief, still cradling him tight in her arms.

It was nearly an hour later, when her tears had led to exhaustion, that she was lifted up and brought to their room. He tucked Connor in next to her, covering him with their blanket and kissed her cheek before he left the room. The door was left ajar and though half asleep, she still heard him talking with the team.

"How is she?" AC wondered.

"She'll be okay… She just needs a little time."

"We got lucky tonight," Victor reminded honestly.

"I know." She could see him pacing in the small space between the door and the jamb. "Things'll have to change… We need eyes on the school. And tomorrow, I'll be talking to the principal about his security detail."

"You called the cops? Explained the situation?"

He nodded briefly. "We're lucky nobody saw us in our gear… People get suspicious when superheroes take an interest in certain people."

"I wiped the video cameras just to be sure," Victor assured.

AC crossed his arms over his chest, grimacing angrily. "Wish I could've seen them up close though… They'd never think about doing something like this again."

"No worries there," Bart cut in, his face edged with anger now, a stark difference from his usual humorous self. "Trust me, dude learned his lesson."

Her husband stared at his youngest teammate a long moment. "She asked you to take care of him, didn't she?"

He nodded briskly. "All I needed was the go-ahead," he replied with a shrug. "I was happy to step up."

"You were careful he didn't see you?"

Bart smirked. "If I don't wanna be seen, I'm _not_."

"Good." Turning with a sigh, he rubbed his forehead. "It's been a long night. You guys should head home."

With short goodbyes they fled the apartment and Chloe waited for him to join her in bed. Stripping down to his boxers, he slid into bed next to her, wrapping an arm around her and their son. She watched as he ran his long fingers through Connor's hair reverently. "I don't know what I would've done…" He pressed his face to her shoulder. "If he'd been hurt…" He shook his head, his body vibrating against hers, his fear evident.

"I know…" she whispered.

The second she knew her son was missing, she had only one thought in mind. Whoever took him was going to die; and it wasn't an empty promise. She fully intended to make them pay for ever thinking they could take him away from her. They walked into _her _life and thought to disrupt it, to take her little boy out of his arms and put him in harms way. That was no forgivable, under any circumstance.

"He was just sleeping… Curled up on some cot, thumb in his mouth…" He sighed sadly. "He barely moved when I picked him up. Just glanced at me, smiled, went back to sleep." There was pride in his voice, laced through the sorrow felt over the entire situation.

"He's strong, smart… He knew we'd come get him."

She felt his jaw flex against her neck. "I wanted to kill them… I wanted to give him to Victor and go in their and cut their throats myself." His arm tightened around her and she turned slightly to look up at him in their darkened bedroom.

"I wouldn't have blamed you…" Searching his eyes, she smiled sadly. "I wanted them dead just as much."

Pressing his forehead to her cheek, he sighed. "I'd never survive if I lost one of you," he murmured. "You're my whole world."

"You won't." Reaching back, she cupped his face. "Look at me."

Slowly, he did just that, staring at her with such deep emotion stark in his face.

"You will never lose us, Ollie…" Kissing his lips gently, she shook her head vehemently. "We're right here and we're not going anywhere."

He nodded, accepting her words as truth, and with his arms wrapped around his family, Oliver Queen could contently fall asleep knowing that they would be there tomorrow, and all the tomorrows to come. With a little tweaking, his family would be safer than any other on the planet, and he'd make sure that something like this never happened again. Chloe and Connor would never know this fear again and anybody who thought to show them it would be dealt with in a manner unfit of a hero. But above the heroics, behind the Green Arrow, was a husband and a father, and his responsibilities to his family came before all else. If he'd had a choice, the men who did this would be long dead. It was only because his son had been safely asleep in his arms that he hadn't exact revenge like he so wanted to. But he wouldn't be so forgiving if there was ever a repeat. And nobody could blame him for it.


End file.
